Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas

Shirley Ballas is the new head judge for the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing, replacing Len Goodman.

“I didn’t really expect to get this information today, but I’ll carry this with me now for a long, long time. Clara holds a special place in my heart.”

On her father's side, Shirley pursued a rumour that she has black ancestry.

A trail of historical clues brought her to colonial Cape Town and the era of slave trafficking to South Africa via the Indian Ocean.

One viewer tweeted: “Absolutely heartbreaking to learn what happened to Clara – such a tragic life. It also goes to show that not all family rumours are true and should be properly investigated #WhoDoYouThinkYouAre #WDYTYA.”

Another posted: “Loving that Shirley Ballas is doing what so many of those finding out about their family history do: walking the streets in which their ancestors lived to try feel a connection & learn more about them #WDYTYA.”

Shirley Ballas was left in tears on Who Do You Think You Are? (Image: BBC)